Workpiece transport robot

Abstract

To provide a workpiece transport robot which can detect a position spaced apart from an attachment position of a workpiece holding hand without arranging a sensor part at the position spaced apart from the attachment position of the workpiece holding hand in a robot arm part.SOLUTION: A substrate transport robot 100 includes: a robot arm part; a hand 50 which is attached to the robot arm part and holds a substrate 300; a sensor part 70 which is attached to the robot arm part and radiates and receives the detection light to detect a position of a detection object including a substrate placing part; and a mirror part 73 which is disposed at the hand 50, reflects the detection light radiated from the sensor part 70 toward the detection object, and reflects the detection light reflected from the detection object toward the sensor part 70.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a workpiece transport robot. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, workpiece transport robots have been disclosed. Patent Document 1 discloses an industrial robot. The industrial robot is provided with a workpiece holding device. The workpiece holding device holds a glass substrate as the workpiece. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-154431 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, when a workpiece is transported by holding a substrate, as in the industrial robot described in Patent Document 1, the workpiece is transported by operating a robot arm and a workpiece-holding hand attached to the robot arm. In this case, if a sensor unit for detecting the placement position of the workpiece or the position of the placed workpiece itself is attached to the workpiece-holding hand, the weight of the sensor unit increases the load applied to the attachment position of the workpiece-holding hand on the robot arm. Furthermore, if the sensor unit is located at the tip of the workpiece-holding hand, the load applied to the attachment position of the substrate-holding hand increases, making it difficult to detect a position away from the attachment position of the substrate-holding hand.

[0005] This disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one purpose of this disclosure is to provide a work transport robot that can detect a position away from the attachment position of the work holding hand on the robot arm without placing a sensor unit at a position away from the attachment position of the work holding hand. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a work transport robot includes a robot arm unit, a work holding hand attached to the robot arm unit and holding a workpiece, a sensor unit attached to the robot arm unit and irradiating detection light and receiving the detection light to detect the position of a detection object including a work placement unit on which the workpiece is placed, and a mirror unit disposed on the work holding hand and reflecting the detection light irradiated from the sensor unit toward the detection object and reflecting the detection light reflected from the detection object toward the sensor unit.

[0007] As described above, the substrate transport robot according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a mirror unit that is disposed on the workpiece holding hand and that reflects detection light irradiated from the sensor unit toward the detection target and reflects detection light reflected from the detection target toward the sensor unit. This allows the detection light from the sensor unit to be reflected by the mirror unit, making it possible to detect a position distant from the attachment position of the workpiece holding hand without disposing the sensor unit at a position distant from the attachment position of the workpiece holding hand on the robot arm. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, a position away from the attachment position of the workpiece holding hand on the robot arm can be detected without disposing a sensor unit at a position away from the attachment position of the workpiece holding hand. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a substrate transport robot according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a substrate transport robot and a processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view of a hand for holding a substrate according to a first embodiment, as viewed from the tip side. [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view of a hand for holding a substrate according to a first embodiment, as viewed from the base end side. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a side view of the hand for holding the substrate according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a container arranged separately from the substrate transport robot according to the first embodiment, and a container arranged on a self-propelled carriage. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a hand holding a cartridge. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the opening of a door of the processing apparatus. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining detection of three mutually different positions. [Figure 11] 4 is a flow chart for explaining a method for controlling a transfer operation to a processing apparatus by a substrate transfer robot according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining detection of a container arranged separately from a substrate transport robot. [Figure 13] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining detection of a floating state of a placed substrate. [Figure 14] 5 is a flow chart for explaining a method for controlling the cartridge replacement operation by the substrate transport robot according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a substrate transport robot according to a second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a hand for holding a substrate according to a second embodiment, as viewed from the tip side. [Figure 17] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining a change in the orientation of the sensor unit by a direction changing mechanism. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a perspective view for explaining the details of the direction changing mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [First embodiment] The configuration of a substrate transport robot 100 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. In this specification, the vertical direction is referred to as the Z direction. The upper side is referred to as the Z1 side, and the lower side is referred to as the Z2 side. The direction perpendicular to the Z direction is referred to as the X direction. The direction perpendicular to the Z direction and the X direction is referred to as the Y direction. One side of the X direction is referred to as the X1 side, and the other side is referred to as the X2 side. One side of the Y direction is referred to as the Y1 side, and the other side is referred to as the Y2 side. The direction from the tip to the base end of the hand 50 is referred to as the A direction. The tip and base ends of the hand 50 are referred to as the A1 side and the A2 side, respectively. The direction perpendicular to the A direction is referred to as the B direction. The right side as viewed from the tip of the hand 50 is referred to as the B1 side, and the left side as viewed from the tip of the hand 50 is referred to as the B2 side. The A direction and the B direction are directions along a horizontal plane. The direction perpendicular to the A direction and the B direction is referred to as the C direction. One side of the C direction is referred to as the C1 side, and the other side is referred to as the C2 side. The A direction and the C direction are examples of a first direction and a second direction, respectively. The A direction is also an example of a predetermined direction.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, the substrate transport robot 100 includes a robot arm unit 10, a self-propelled carriage 20, a control unit 30, a tool mounting unit 40, a hand 50, a hand 60, a sensor unit 70, and an imaging unit 74. The substrate transport robot 100 is an example of a workpiece transport robot. The hand 50 is an example of a workpiece holding hand. The hand 60 is an example of a cartridge holding hand.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the substrate transfer robot 100 is a vertical articulated robot. The substrate transfer robot 100 includes multiple joint axes JT. For example, the robot arm unit 10 includes six joint axes JT1, JT2, JT3, JT4, JT5, and JT6. The number of joint axes JT may be other than six. In addition, the drive unit 11 shown in FIG. 1 is disposed at each of the joint axes JT1 to JT6. The substrate transfer robot 100 transfers a rectangular plate-shaped substrate 300 to be processed in a processing device 500. The substrate 300 is an example of a workpiece.

[0014] The robot arm unit 10 is placed on the self-propelled cart 20. As shown in FIG. 1 , the self-propelled cart 20 includes wheels 21 and a drive unit 22. The drive unit 22 is a motor or the like that drives the wheels 21. The operation of the drive unit 22 is controlled by a control unit 30.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 30 controls the operations of the robot arm unit 10, the self-propelled carriage 20, the hand 50, and the hand 60. The control unit 30 also controls the overall operation of the substrate transport robot 100. The control unit 30 includes a main control unit 31, a servo control unit 32, and a drive circuit unit 33. The main control unit 31 and the servo control unit 32 each include, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The main control unit 31 controls the joint axis JT of the substrate transport robot 100. The servo control unit 32 controls the power supplied to the drive unit 11 of the joint axis JT based on a command from the main control unit 31. The control unit 30 is a robot controller.

[0016] The drive circuit unit 33 supplies drive power to the drive unit 11 of the joint axis JT. The drive circuit unit 33 includes an inverter circuit that supplies AC power to the drive unit 11. A drive circuit unit 33 is provided for each joint axis JT.

[0017] The drive unit 11 is a drive source for operating the substrate transfer robot 100. The drive unit 11 includes a servo motor, an encoder, and a reducer. The servo motor rotates when power is supplied. The servo motor rotates its rotation shaft by, for example, three-phase AC power. The encoder detects the rotation angle of the servo motor. The encoder then outputs a detection value indicating the detected rotation angle of the servo motor to the main control unit 31 and the servo control unit 32.

[0018] The tool mounting unit 40 mounts the hand 50 exchangeably to the robot arm unit 10. Either the hand 50 or the hand 60 is mounted to the tool mounting unit 40. That is, either the hand 50 or the hand 60 is mounted to the robot arm unit 10 via the tool mounting unit 40. The tool mounting unit 40 is, for example, an automatic tool changer. The operation of the tool mounting unit 40 is controlled by the control unit 30. When the hand 50 is mounted to the robot arm unit 10, the hand 60 is placed on the self-propelled carriage 20. When the hand 60 is mounted to the robot arm unit 10, the hand 50 is placed on the self-propelled carriage 20.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3 , the tool mounting unit 40 includes a flat base 41, plate-shaped members 42 and 43, and an exchange mechanism 44. The base 41 is disposed along the AB plane and has a connection hole 41a. The tool mounting unit 40 is fixed to the robot arm 10 by connecting the tip of the robot arm 10 to the C1 side of the connection hole 41a. The plate-shaped members 42 and 43 and the exchange mechanism 44 are fixed to the C2 side of the base 41. In this embodiment, either the hand 50 or the hand 60 is exchangeably attached to the exchange mechanism 44. The exchange mechanism 44 switches between a locked state in which either the hand 50 or the hand 60 is fixed and a released state in which the locked state is released. Signal lines and power lines for operating the respective parts of the hand 50 and the hand 60 are connected from the robot arm 10 to the hand 50 and the hand 60 via the exchange mechanism 44 of the tool mounting unit 40.

[0020] (Configuration of hand holding substrate) As shown in Fig. 3, the hand 50 is attached to the robot arm unit 10 and holds a plate-shaped substrate 300. The hand 50 is attached to the robot arm unit 10 via the tool attachment unit 40. The hand 50 includes a support unit 51, a support unit 52, a gripping unit 53a, a gripping unit 53c, a gripping unit 53d, a moving mechanism 55, and an abutting member 59. As shown in Fig. 4, the hand 50 also includes a contact unit 53b, a moving mechanism 56, a moving mechanism 57, and a moving mechanism 58.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, the support part 51 is a rod-shaped member extending along direction A, which is a predetermined direction in the hand 50. The support part 52 is a rod-shaped member extending along direction B, which is perpendicular to direction A. The support parts 51 and 52 are connected to each other. The hand 50 is attached to the robot arm part 10 via the tool attachment part 40 on the direction A2 side, which is one side in the direction in which the support part 51 extends. A grip part 53a and a contact part 53b shown in FIG. 4 are arranged on the direction A1 and direction A2 sides of the support part 51, respectively. A grip part 53c and a grip part 53d are arranged on the direction B1 and direction B2 sides of the support part 52, respectively.

[0022] The gripping portion 53a grips the edge of the substrate 300 from the A direction along the horizontal direction. Specifically, the gripping portion 53a is attached to a plate-shaped member 54a connected to the A1 direction side of the support portion 51, and grips the A1 direction side edge of the substrate 300 arranged along the AB plane. As shown in FIG. 5, the gripping portion 53a includes a claw-shaped member attached to the member 54a so as to protrude toward the C2 side. The gripping portion 53a grips the substrate 300 by hooking the tip side of the substrate 300 in the A direction with the claw-shaped member. The member 54a is attached to a frame-shaped member 54b. The support portion 51 penetrates the member 54b.

[0023] 4, the contact portion 53b contacts the base end, which is the end on the A2 direction side of the substrate 300. The contact portion 53b is a columnar member extending along the C2 direction. A pair of the columnar contact portions 53b is arranged. Alternatively, the contact portion 53b may be a plate-like member extending along the B direction.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, the moving mechanism 55 drives the gripping portion 53a. The moving mechanism 55 is disposed on the support portion 51. The moving mechanism 55 is connected to the member 54b. The moving mechanism 55 moves the gripping portion 53a along the direction A together with the members 54b and 54a. The moving mechanism 55 also moves the gripping portion 53a in accordance with the size of the substrate 300 in the direction A. The moving mechanism 55 is a linear moving mechanism that moves the gripping portion 53a along the direction A. As shown in FIG. 5, the moving mechanism 55 moves the gripping portion 53a, so that the substrate 300 is gripped from the direction A by the gripping portion 53a and the abutting portion 53b. The moving mechanism 56 also moves the abutting portion 53b up and down along the direction C.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4, grippers 53c and 53d grip substrate 300 from direction B, which is a horizontal direction intersecting direction A. Similar to gripper 53a, each of the pair of grippers 53c and 53d includes a claw-shaped member protruding toward C2. The lower surface of substrate 300 is supported by the claw-shaped member of each of the pair of grippers 53c and 53d. Moving mechanism 57 drives grippers 53c and 53d. Moving mechanism 57 is disposed on support unit 52. Moving mechanism 57 is disposed for each of the pair of grippers 53c and 53d. Moving mechanism 57 is a linear moving mechanism that moves each of grippers 53c and 53d along direction B. Moving mechanism 57 moves pair of gripping portions 53c and 53d toward each other, whereby gripping portions 53c and 53d grip substrate 300 from direction B. Moving mechanism 58 moves each of gripping portions 53c and 53d along direction C. Each of moving mechanisms 55, 56, 57, and 58 includes, for example, an air cylinder or a motor as a drive source.

[0026] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the abutment member 59 is a member for moving the placed substrate 300 so as to pull it out. The abutment member 59 comes into contact with the substrate 300 and pulls out the substrate 300 by frictional force. The abutment member 59 is disposed at the tip of the hand 50, separate from the gripping portion 53a on the A1 direction side. The abutment member 59 is attached to the member 54a via a Y-shaped attachment portion 59a. The abutment member 59 is disposed at each of the bifurcated portions of the attachment portion 59a. The abutment member 59 is made of, for example, rubber. Note that the abutment member 59 may be made of a material other than rubber as long as it can pull out the substrate 300 by frictional force.

[0027] In this embodiment, the substrate transfer robot 100 includes a sensor unit 70 and a mirror unit 73. The sensor unit 70 is attached to the robot arm unit 10. The sensor unit 70 is disposed on the A2 side of the hand 50, which is one side of the direction in which the support unit 51 extends. Specifically, the sensor unit 70 is attached to the robot arm unit 10 integrally with either the hand 50 or the hand 60 via the tool mounting unit 40. That is, the sensor unit 70 is fixed to the robot arm unit 10. The sensor unit 70 is attached to a plate-shaped member 42 of the tool mounting unit 40. The sensor unit 70 is, for example, an optical sensor. The sensor unit 70 emits and receives detection light to detect the position of a detection target. The sensor unit 70 is, for example, a displacement sensor that emits detection light to detect the distance to the detection target using a triangulation method or a time-of-flight method. The detection target includes the position where the substrate 300 is placed and the substrate 300 itself. 2. The detection targets include the substrate placement part 510 on which the substrate 300 is placed, the cartridge placement part 520 on which the cartridge 550 is placed, and the door part 530 in the processing apparatus 500 shown in FIG.

[0028] The sensor unit 70 includes a sensor unit 71 and a sensor unit 72. When the hand 50 is attached to the tool attachment unit 40, the sensor unit 71 emits detection light toward the mirror unit 73. The sensor unit 71 emits detection light along the A direction. The detection light emitted from the sensor unit 71 is emitted onto the mirror unit 73. The detection light reflected from the detection target is received by the sensor unit 71 via the mirror unit 73. The sensor unit 71 is attached to the tool attachment unit 40 via a plate-shaped member 42. The member 42 is fixed to the A1 direction side of the base unit 41 and is disposed to extend from the base unit 41 toward the C2 direction along the AC plane. The sensor unit 71 is attached to the B1 side of the member 42. The sensor unit 72 emits detection light along a direction different from that of the sensor unit 71. Specifically, the sensor unit 72 emits detection light along the C2 direction. The sensor unit 72 is attached to the tool mounting unit 40 via a plate-shaped member 42. The sensor unit 72 is attached to the B2 side of the member 42. The sensor unit 71 and the sensor unit 72 each emit detection light and receive detection light separately from each other. The sensor unit 71 is an example of a first sensor unit. The sensor unit 72 is an example of a second sensor unit.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 3 , the mirror unit 73 is disposed on the hand 50. The mirror unit 73 reflects detection light emitted from the sensor unit 71, which is disposed facing the A1 direction, toward the detection target, and also reflects detection light reflected from the detection target toward the sensor unit 71. The mirror unit 73 is disposed on the A1 direction side of the hand 50, which is the other side of the direction in which the support unit 51 extends. That is, the mirror unit 73 is disposed on the tip side of the hand 50, and the sensor unit 70 is disposed on the base end side of the hand 50. The mirror unit 73 is attached to the member 54a via a plate-shaped member 54c. The plate-shaped member 54c is disposed to extend from the member 54a in the C1 direction. The mirror unit 73 is inclined, for example, at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the A direction. In this embodiment, the movement mechanism 55 operates to move the mirror unit 73, the gripper 53a, and the abutment member 59 of the hand 50 together along the A direction. That is, the movement mechanism 55 includes a linear movement mechanism that moves the mirror portion 73, the grip portion 53a, and the abutment member 59 linearly along the direction A, which is the irradiation direction of the detection light from the sensor portion 71 of the sensor portion .

[0030] The imaging unit 74 captures an image of the detection target in order to detect the detection target. The imaging unit 74 is provided separately from the sensor unit 70. The imaging unit 74 is, for example, a two-dimensional camera. The imaging unit 74 is attached to the robot arm unit 10 integrally with the sensor unit 70 via the tool attachment unit 40. The imaging unit 74 is attached to a plate-shaped member 43 of the tool attachment unit 40. The member 43 is fixed to the end of the base unit 41 on the B2 side, and is arranged along the AB plane so as to extend from the base unit 41 toward the A2 side. The imaging direction of the imaging unit 74 is the C2 direction.

[0031] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 , the substrate transfer robot 100 grasps a substrate 300 from a storage unit 400, which is arranged separately from the substrate transfer robot 100 and in which a plurality of substrates 300 are previously stored lined up, and transfers the substrate 300 to a storage unit 410 arranged on the self-propelled carriage 20. The storage unit 400 includes a housing 401 and a plurality of shelf units 402. The shelf units 402 are arranged in a plurality of tiers. The substrate 300 is placed on the surface of the shelf units 402. The storage unit 410 includes a housing 411. The substrate 300 is transferred into the housing 411. The storage unit 410 is attached to the self-propelled carriage 20. The storage unit 400 is an example of a workpiece placement unit.

[0032] 2, the substrate transport robot 100 receives the substrate 300 after it has been processed by the processing device 500 from the processing device 500 into the accommodation unit 410. The substrate transport robot 100 also removes the unprocessed substrate 300 stored in the accommodation unit 410 from the accommodation unit 410 and places it in the processing device 500. The processing device 500 processes the substrate 300. The processing device 500 is, for example, a processing machine that processes the substrate 300.

[0033] In the processing apparatus 500, a plurality of substrates 300 are placed side by side in the X direction. In the processing apparatus 500, the substrates 300 are placed on a substrate placement unit 510. In addition, in the processing apparatus 500, a plurality of cartridges 550 are placed on a cartridge placement unit 520. The cartridges 550 house processing members for processing the substrates 300 in the processing apparatus 500. For example, the cartridges 550 house drill bits, which are processing members for drilling holes in the substrates 300 in the processing apparatus 500. The cartridges 550 have, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape and house a plurality of drill bits. In the processing apparatus 500, the cartridge placement unit 520 is disposed on the Y2 direction side, i.e., the front side, of the substrate placement unit 510. In addition, the processing apparatus 500 has a door unit 530. In the processing apparatus 500, the door unit 530 is closed when processing the substrates 300. The cartridge 550 is an example of a processing member cartridge.

[0034] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7 , the substrate 300 includes a plurality of stacked substrate portions. The stacked substrate portions are temporarily fixed by a temporary fixing member 310. Specifically, the substrate portion includes a target substrate 301 to be processed, a metal plate 302 disposed on the upper surface of the target substrate 301, and a bake plate 303 disposed on the lower surface of the target substrate 301. For example, a plurality of target substrates 301 are stacked. The bake plate 303 functions as a spacer when the target substrate 301 is processed. The temporary fixing member 310 is, for example, an adhesive tape. In addition, positioning pins 320 are arranged so as to penetrate the substrate 300. The positioning pins 320 are arranged on one end side and the other end side of the substrate 300. The positioning pins 320 protrude downward from the bake plate 303.

[0035] (Configuration of hand holding cartridge) 8, like the hand 50, the hand 60 is attached to the robot arm unit 10 via the tool attachment unit 40. That is, the hand 60 is fixed to the robot arm unit 10 by connecting a plate-shaped member 61 to the exchange mechanism 44 of the tool attachment unit 40. When the hand 60 is attached to the robot arm unit 10, the member 61 is arranged along the AB plane on the C2 direction side of the exchange mechanism 44. Note that even when the hand 60 is attached to the robot arm unit 10 instead of the hand 50, the sensor unit 70 and the imaging unit 74 are connected to the robot arm unit 10 via the tool attachment unit 40 integrally with the hand 60, like the hand 50.

[0036] The hand 60 holds the cartridge 550. The hand 60 includes a gripper 62, a gripper 63, a moving mechanism 64, a moving mechanism 65, and a door opening / closing member 66. The gripper 62 and the gripper 63 each grip one cartridge 550. That is, the hand 60 can simultaneously hold up to two cartridges 550. The gripper 62 has a pair of claws 62a that hold the cartridge 550 along direction B. The gripper 63 similarly has a pair of claws 63a that hold the cartridge 550 along direction B. The moving mechanism 64 moves the pair of claws 63a of the gripper 63 relative to each other and the pair of claws 63a of the gripper 63 relative to each other along direction B so as to open and close. The moving mechanism 65 moves the gripper 62 and the gripper 63 independently up and down along direction C. Each of the moving mechanisms 64 and 65 includes, for example, an actuator such as an air cylinder or a motor as a drive source. The door opening / closing member 66 includes a pair of rod-shaped members extending along the B direction in the hand 60. The door opening / closing member 66 is fixed to the B2 side of the plate-shaped member 61, and is arranged to extend from the member 61 in the B2 direction.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 9 , the door opening / closing member 66 is a member for opening and closing the door 530 provided in the processing apparatus 500. The door opening / closing member 66 opens and closes the door 530 by abutting against a handle 531 arranged on the door 503. That is, the substrate transport robot 100 opens and closes the door 530 by operating the robot arm 10 so that the door opening / closing member 66 arranged on the hand 60 abuts against the handle 531, and then the door opening / closing member 66 pushes the handle 531 to open or close the door 530. The substrate transport robot 100 moves the hand 60 in the Z2 direction by operating the robot arm 10 with the tip of the door opening / closing member 66 abutting against the Z2-direction side of the handle 531 of the door 530. As a result, the handle 531 is pressed in the Z1 direction, and the door 530 moves upward in the Z1 direction, thereby opening the processing apparatus 500.

[0038] (Detection of target) The control unit 30 controls the detection of the position of the detection target, including the accommodation unit 400 and the substrate placement unit 510, by reflecting the detection light from the sensor unit 71 of the sensor unit 70 using the mirror unit 73. The control unit 30 then controls the operation of the hand 50 based on the detected position of the detection target. Specifically, the control unit 30 acquires the three-dimensional position of the detection target based on the captured image of the detection target captured by the imaging unit 74 and the detection result of the detection target detected by the sensor unit 70. The control unit 30 acquires the planar position of the detection target based on the captured image and the distance to the detection target based on the detection result of the sensor unit 70. The control unit 30 detects the position of the detection target in the AB plane based on the captured image of the C2 direction side of the hand 50 or 60 captured by the imaging unit 74. The control unit 30 then detects the distance to the inspection target in the C direction based on the detection result of the sensor unit 70.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 10 , the sensor unit 70 irradiates detection light onto three different positions on the detection surface of the detection target to detect the three-dimensional position of the detection surface of the detection target. For example, when the hand 50 is attached to the tool mounting unit 40, the control unit 30 operates the robot arm unit 10 to change the position of the hand 50, and uses the sensors 71 and 72 and the mirror unit 73 to irradiate detection light onto the three different positions. For example, with the hand 50 positioned at one position, the control unit 30 obtains detection results at two separate positions on the detection surface of the detection target based on the detection result from the sensor unit 72 irradiating detection light in the C2 direction and the detection result from the sensor unit 71 irradiating detection light in the A1 direction using the mirror unit 73. Then, the control unit 30 changes the position of the hand 50 and obtains a detection result at a third position based on the detection result from the sensor unit 72 at the changed position. The control unit 30 obtains the tilt of the detection surface based on the detection results from the three different positions on the detection surface of the detection target. The control unit 30 controls the operation of the robot arm unit 10 and the hands 50 and 60 based on the position of the detection object in the AB plane obtained based on the captured image and the inclination of the detection object obtained based on the detection results of the sensor unit 70.

[0040] When the hand 60 is attached to the tool mounting portion 40, the hand 60 does not have a mirror portion that reflects the detection light, so the control portion 30 does not acquire the detection result from the sensor portion 71 that is arranged facing the A1 direction, but acquires the detection result from the sensor portion 72 that is arranged facing the C2 direction, thereby acquiring the detection results of three mutually different positions.

[0041] (Method for controlling transport operation for processing equipment) Next, a method for controlling the transfer operation of the substrate 300 to the processing apparatus 500 by the substrate transfer robot 100 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0042] In step S101, the unprocessed substrate 300 is moved from the storage unit 400, which is the supply position. The control unit 30 executes a process of moving the self-propelled carriage 20 to the storage unit 400, which already stores the substrate 300 before it is processed by the processing device 500. The control unit 30 then executes a process of detecting the substrate 300 using the sensor unit 71 and the sensor unit 72. The control unit 30 then executes a process of photographing the substrate 300 stored in the storage unit 400 using the imaging unit 74. The control unit 30 recognizes the position of the storage unit 400 based on the detection results of the sensor unit 71 and the sensor unit 72 and the image captured by the imaging unit 74.

[0043] 12, the control unit 30 detects the position of the housing 401 by using the top surface of the housing 401 of the accommodation unit 400 on the Z1 direction side as the detection surface to be detected. The control unit 30 acquires the position of the housing 401 in the horizontal plane based on a captured image of the top surface of the housing 401 captured by the imaging unit 74. The control unit 30 detects the position of the housing 401 in the XY plane, for example, by identifying marker members 404 arranged on the top surface of the housing 401 in the captured image of the top surface of the housing 401. A plurality of marker members 404 may be arranged. The control unit 30 then detects positions P1, P2, and P3 as three different positions on the top surface of the housing 401 using the sensor unit 70. For example, the control unit 30 detects the relative position of position P1 in the Z direction with respect to the hand 50 by detecting light from the sensor unit 72, by moving the hand 50 so that it overlaps with the housing 401 in the Z1 direction based on the position of the marker member 404, and detects the relative position of position P2 in the Z direction by reflecting the detection light from the sensor unit 71 off the mirror unit 73. Then, the control unit 30 moves the hand 50 in the X2 direction, by detecting the relative position of position P3 in the Z direction with respect to the hand 50 by detecting light from the sensor unit 72. The control unit 30 acquires the three-dimensional position of the top surface of the housing 401, including the tilt relative to the hand 50, based on the detection results of the sensor unit 70 at positions P1, P2, and P3.

[0044] The control unit 30 detects the substrate 300 placed on the shelf 402 of the housing 401 based on the detected position of the housing 401 of the storage unit 400. The control unit 30 stores in advance the positional relationship between the top surface of the housing 401 and the shelf 402. The control unit 30 detects the substrate 300 by having the mirror 73 reflect detection light from the sensor 71 while moving the hand 50 in the Z2 direction along the shelf 402. The control unit 30 detects the position of the unprocessed substrate 300 placed on the shelf 402 based on the detection result of the sensor 71 that detects the detection light reflected by the mirror 73, and holds the substrate 300 placed in the storage unit 400 by operating the hand 50. In the storage unit 400, a plurality of substrates 300 are arranged side by side along the Z direction, which is the vertical direction. The control unit 30 detects the position of one substrate 300 arranged furthest in the Z1 direction by moving the hand 50 from the Z1 direction side to the Z2 direction side of the substrate 300 while obtaining the detection result from the sensor unit 70. The control unit 30 stores in advance the positional relationship in the Z direction of the multiple substrates 300 arranged in the storage unit 400. Therefore, by detecting the position of one substrate 300, the control unit 30 obtains the positions of the remaining multiple substrates 300.

[0045] The control unit 30 operates the robot arm unit 10 to move the hand 50, thereby abutting the contact member 59 of the hand 50 against the substrate 300 placed in the storage unit 400 from the Z2 direction, lifting it in the Z1 direction, and sliding the substrate 300 horizontally in the Y2 direction. The control unit 30 then slides the substrate 300 to a gripping position, and grips the substrate 300 at the gripping position using the gripping unit 53a, the contact member 53b, the gripping unit 53c, and the gripping unit 53d. The control unit 30 then stores the gripped substrate 300 in the storage unit 410. The control unit 30 stores, for example, the position of the storage unit 410 in advance. The control unit 30 repeats the same operation for the number of substrates 300 stored in the storage unit 400.

[0046] Next, in step S102, the processed substrate 300 is removed from the substrate mounting portion 510 of the processing apparatus 500. The control unit 30 executes a process of moving the self-propelled carriage 20 to the processing apparatus 500 with the plurality of unprocessed substrates 300 accommodated in the accommodation unit 410. Similar to the detection of the position of the accommodation unit 400 in step S101, the control unit 30 detects the position of the substrate mounting portion 510 of the processing apparatus 500 based on the detection results by the sensor units 71 and 72 and the image captured by the imaging unit 74, and thereby controls the operation of the hand 50 and the robot arm unit 10 to remove the processed substrate 300 mounted on the substrate mounting portion 510.

[0047] Similar to the detection of the position of the accommodation unit 400 in step S101, the control unit 30 detects the positions of the marker members arranged on the substrate mounting unit 510 of the processing apparatus 500 based on the captured image by the imaging unit 74. Then, similar to step S101, the control unit 30 reflects the detection light from the sensor unit 71 onto the substrate mounting unit 510 using the mirror unit 73, and irradiates the detection light from the sensor unit 72 directly onto the substrate mounting unit 510, thereby obtaining detection results at three different positions on the substrate mounting unit 510. The control unit 30 detects the three-dimensional position of the substrate mounting unit 510 based on the position in the XY plane detected based on the captured image and the detection results from the sensor unit 70, thereby obtaining the position of the processed substrate 300 mounted on the substrate mounting unit 510.

[0048] Based on the acquired position of the substrate 300 on the substrate mounting part 510, the control part 30 controls the operation of the hand 50 and the robot arm part 10, thereby gripping the processed substrate 300 placed on the substrate mounting part 510 with the gripping part 53a, the contact part 53b, the gripping part 53c, and the gripping part 53d, thereby moving the processed substrate 300 from the processing equipment 500 and storing it in the storage part 410. Note that if the processed substrate 300 is not placed in the processing equipment 500, the operation of removing the processed substrate 300 in step S102 is omitted, and only the operation of detecting the three-dimensional position of the substrate mounting part 510 is performed, followed by the process proceeding to step S103.

[0049] Next, in step S103, the unprocessed substrate 300 is placed on the substrate placement part 510 of the processing apparatus 500. Based on the detection results obtained by the sensor units 71 and 72 in step S102 and the image captured by the imaging unit 74, the control unit 30 controls the operation of the hand 50 and the robot arm unit 10 to place the unprocessed substrate 300 on the substrate placement part 510. The control unit 30 causes the hand 50 to hold the unprocessed substrate 300 accommodated in the accommodation unit 410 in step S101, and places the unprocessed substrate 300 held by the hand 50 on the substrate placement part 510 from which the processed substrate 300 has been removed in step S102.

[0050] 13 , a groove 512 and a hole 513 into which each of the pair of positioning pins 320 of the substrate 300 is inserted are formed in the substrate mounting portion 510 of the processing apparatus 500. The groove 512 is disposed on the Y1 side of the substrate mounting portion 510, and the hole 513 is disposed on the Y2 side of the substrate mounting portion 510. The groove 512 is formed along the Y direction. The groove 512 and the hole 513 are recessed on the Z2 side. The control unit 30 causes the robot arm unit 10 to perform an operation of tilting the substrate 300 so that the positioning pin 320 on the tip side of the substrate 300 is inserted into the groove 512 and the positioning pin 320 on the base end side is inserted into the hole 513.

[0051] In this embodiment, the control unit 30 performs an operation of placing the substrate 300 on the substrate placement unit 510, and then detects the floating state of the placed substrate 300. That is, the sensor unit 70 irradiates detection light to detect the floating state of the placed substrate 300 in addition to detecting the substrate placement unit 510, which is the detection target. For example, after placing the substrate 300 on the substrate placement unit 510, the control unit 30 controls the operation of the robot arm unit 10 to move the hand 50 in the Z1 direction above the placed substrate 300. Then, the sensor unit 71 irradiates detection light toward the mirror unit 73 in a state in which the placed substrate 300 and the hand 50 overlap as viewed from the Z direction. The mirror unit 73 reflects the detection light from the sensor unit 71 toward the placed substrate 300, and also reflects the detection light reflected from the substrate 300 toward the sensor unit 71. The control unit 30 irradiates the detection light from the sensor unit 71 toward the Y1 direction side of the substrate 300 by reflecting it on the mirror unit 73, and irradiates the detection light from the sensor unit 72 toward a position on the Y2 direction side of the substrate 300. The control unit 30 detects the inclination of the substrate 300 in the Y direction based on the detection results from the sensor units 71 and 72, and thereby detects that the positioning pins 320 of the substrate 300 are inserted into the grooves 512 and the holes 513.

[0052] 2, in the processing apparatus 500, a plurality of substrates 300 are arranged side by side along the X direction. The control unit 30 repeats steps S102 and S103 to move the self-propelled carriage 20, thereby storing the processed substrates 300 placed on the plurality of substrate mounting units 510 of the processing apparatus 500 in the storage unit 410, and placing the unprocessed substrates 300 on the plurality of substrate mounting units 510. Each time the control unit 30 moves the self-propelled carriage 20, the control unit 30 detects the three-dimensional position of each of the plurality of substrate mounting units 510 based on the image captured by the imaging unit 74 and the detection results by the sensor unit 70, and removes the processed substrates 300 and moves them to the storage unit 410, and places the unprocessed substrates 300 on the substrate mounting units 510.

[0053] Next, in step S104, the processed substrate 300 is moved to the storage unit 400, which is the discharge position. Similar to step S101, the control unit 30 executes a process of moving the self-propelled carriage 20 to the storage unit 400. Then, similar to step S101, the control unit 30 detects the position of the storage unit 400 based on the detection result by the sensor unit 70 and the image captured by the imaging unit 74, and moves the processed substrate 300 stored in the storage unit 410 relative to the storage unit 400. For example, the control unit 30 detects the position of the housing 401 of the storage unit 400 by the same operation as in step S101, and moves the processed substrate 300 relative to the shelf 402 of the housing 401. The control unit 30 places the substrate 300 held by the holding portion 53a, the contact portion 53b, the holding portion 53c, and the holding portion 53d on the shelf portion 402, and after releasing the holding state, slides the substrate 300 placed on the shelf portion 402 by the tip of the hand 50 in the Y1 direction of Figure 6, thereby moving the substrate 300 to the back of the shelf portion 402 and storing it therein.

[0054] (Method for controlling cartridge replacement operation) Next, a method for controlling the exchange operation of the cartridge 550 by the substrate transport robot 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0055] First, in step S201, the handle portion 531 is detected on the door portion 530 of the processing device 500. With the hand 60 attached to the tool mounting portion 40, the control unit 30 detects the three-dimensional position of the handle portion 531 of the door portion 530, which is in the closed position. For example, the control unit 30 acquires a captured image by using the imaging unit 74 to capture an image of a marker member placed at a predetermined position on the door portion 530. Based on the captured image of the marker member on the door portion 530, the control unit 30 detects the planar position of the handle portion 531 on the detection plane, which is the surface on which the handle portion 531 of the door portion 530 is placed. The control unit 30 also operates the robot arm unit 10 to irradiate detection light from the sensor unit 72 onto three different positions on the detection plane of the door portion 530, which is the detection target, thereby acquiring the three-dimensional relative positional relationship between the detection plane and the hand 60. As a result, the control unit 30 detects the three-dimensional position of the handle portion 531.

[0056] Next, in step S202, the door unit 530 is opened. Based on the position of the handle unit 531 detected in step S201, the control unit 30 operates the robot arm unit 10 to bring the door opening / closing member 66 arranged on the hand 60 into contact with the handle unit 531. The control unit 30 then applies force to the handle unit 531 to move the door unit 530 from the closed position to the open position, thereby opening the door unit 530. Note that FIG. 9 illustrates the state of the door unit 530 arranged in the closed position. The door unit 530 moves from the closed position to the open position in the Z1 direction by rotating about the X direction at a hinge arranged on the Z1 side.

[0057] Next, in step S203, the cartridge 550 is placed on the cartridge placement portion 520. The control unit 30 acquires an image captured by the imaging unit 74 and acquires a detection result by the sensor unit 72 to detect the three-dimensional position of the cartridge placement portion 520. That is, in this embodiment, when the hand 60 is attached to the tool mounting portion 40, the sensor unit 71, which is arranged facing the A1 direction, does not emit detection light, and the sensor unit 72, which is arranged facing the C2 direction, emits detection light to detect the cartridge placement portion 520. The control unit 30 acquires three different positions on the detection surface of the cartridge placement portion 520 as the detection target based on the detection result of the detection light by the sensor unit 72, similar to the detection of the accommodation unit 400 in step S101 and the detection of the substrate placement portion 510 in step S102.

[0058] The control unit 30 detects the position of the cartridge mounting unit 520 in the XY plane based on, for example, an image captured by the imaging unit 74 of a marker member placed on the cartridge mounting unit 520. The control unit 30 operates the robot arm unit 10 to irradiate the detection surface of the cartridge mounting unit 520 with detection light from the sensor unit 72. Because the hand 60 holding the cartridge 550 does not have a mirror unit that reflects the detection light, the control unit 30 detects the position of the cartridge mounting unit 520 by irradiating the detection light to three different positions on the detection surface of the cartridge mounting unit 520 while changing the position of the sensor unit 72 that irradiates the detection light in the C2 direction. Based on the detected position of the cartridge mounting unit 520, the control unit 30 causes the hand 60 to remove the used cartridge 550 placed thereon and move it to the self-propelled cart 20. Then, the hand 60 holds a new cartridge 550 that has been placed on the self-propelled cart 20 and places it on the cartridge mounting unit 520.

[0059] Next, in step S204, the door unit 530 is closed. The control unit 30 controls the operation of the robot arm unit 10 to bring the door opening / closing member 66 of the hand 60 into contact with the handle 531 of the door unit 530 in the open state, thereby moving the door unit 530 from the open position in the Z1 direction toward the closed position in the Z2 direction, thereby closing the door unit 530. The movement of the door unit 530 from the open position to the closed position is opposite to the movement of the door unit 530 to the open position in step S202.

[0060] In this embodiment, the door unit 530 may be moved from the closed position to the open position by attaching the hand 60 to the tool mounting unit 40 before the operation of removing the substrate 300 from the substrate mounting unit 510 in step S102, and the door unit 530 may be moved from the open position to the closed position by attaching the hand 60 to the tool mounting unit 40 after the operation of placing the substrate 300 on the substrate mounting unit 510 in step S103. In this case, the tool mounting unit 40 performs an operation of exchanging the hand 50 and the hand 60 before step S102 and after step S103.

[0061] [Effects of the first embodiment] In the first embodiment, the substrate transport robot 100 serving as a work transport robot is provided with a mirror unit 73 that is disposed in the hand 50 serving as a work holding hand, and that reflects detection light emitted from the sensor unit 70 toward the detection target, and also reflects detection light reflected from the detection target toward the sensor unit 70. This allows the mirror unit 73 to reflect the detection light from the sensor unit 70, so that a position distant from the attachment position of the hand 50 can be detected without disposing the sensor unit 70 in a position distant from the attachment position of the hand 50 on the robot arm unit 10.

[0062] In the first embodiment, the substrate transport robot 100 serving as a work transport robot is provided with a movement mechanism 55 that is disposed on the hand 50 serving as a work holding hand and moves the mirror unit 73. This allows the mirror unit 73 to be moved in accordance with the size of the substrate 300 serving as the work to be detected, the position of the object to be detected, etc. Therefore, by moving the mirror unit 73 without changing the position of the sensor unit 70, it is possible to more accurately detect a position away from the attachment position of the hand 50.

[0063] In the first embodiment, the hand 50 serving as a workpiece holding hand includes a gripper 53a that grips an edge of a substrate 300 serving as a workpiece. The moving mechanism 55 moves the gripper 53a in accordance with the size of the substrate 300. The mirror unit 73 is moved integrally with the gripper 53a by the moving mechanism 55. This allows the mirror unit 73 to be moved by the moving mechanism 55 that moves the gripper 53a in accordance with the size of the substrate 300, thereby reducing the complexity of the device configuration compared to when a configuration is provided in which the mirror unit 73 is moved separately from the moving mechanism 55 that moves the gripper 53a. As a result, a position away from the attachment position of the hand 50 can be detected with higher accuracy, and the device configuration can be reduced in complexity.

[0064] In the first embodiment, the substrate transport robot 100 serving as a workpiece transport robot includes a contact member 59 that is disposed in the hand 50 serving as a workpiece holding hand separately from the gripper 53a and that contacts the substrate 300 to move the placed substrate 300 serving as a workpiece. The gripper 53a, the mirror 73, and the contact member 59 are moved integrally by the movement mechanism 55. This makes it possible to prevent the device configuration from becoming more complex when the contact member 59 that contacts the substrate 300 to move the placed substrate 300 is provided, compared to when a separate configuration for moving the contact member 59 is provided. Therefore, when the gripper 53a, the mirror 73, and the contact member 59 are provided, it is possible to prevent the device configuration from becoming more complex.

[0065] In the first embodiment, the movement mechanism 55 includes a linear movement mechanism that linearly moves the mirror unit 73 along direction A, which is the irradiation direction of the detection light. The sensor unit 70 is fixed to the robot arm unit 10. This allows the linear movement mechanism to linearly move the mirror unit 73 along the optical axis of the detection light from the sensor unit 70, which is fixed so that its position relative to the robot arm unit 10 does not change. Therefore, even when the mirror unit 73 is moved, the detection light can be reflected by the mirror unit 73 without changing the irradiation direction of the detection light from the sensor unit 70. As a result, even when the mirror unit 73 is moved, the detection light can be reflected by the mirror unit 73 without requiring a configuration to move the sensor unit 70, which prevents the device configuration from becoming complicated.

[0066] In the first embodiment, the workpiece holding hand includes a support unit 51 extending along direction A, which is a predetermined direction, and is attached to the robot arm unit 10 on the A2 side, which is one side of the direction in which the support unit 51 extends. The sensor unit 70 is arranged on one side of the direction in which the support unit 51 extends. The mirror unit 73 is arranged on the A1 side, which is the other side of the direction in which the support unit 51 extends, of the hand 50, which serves as the workpiece holding hand. As a result, the attachment position of the hand 50 on the robot arm unit 10 and the sensor unit 70 are arranged on one side of the direction in which the support unit 51 extends, so that the position on the other side of the direction in which the support unit 51 extends can be detected by the mirror unit 73 without having to arrange the sensor unit 70 on the other side of the direction in which the support unit 51 extends. Therefore, by arranging the mirror unit 73 on the support unit 51, it is possible to easily detect a position away from the attachment position of the hand 50. Furthermore, since the mirror unit 73 is smaller than the sensor unit 70, by disposing the mirror unit 73 at the tip of the support unit 51 that extends in a predetermined direction, the mirror unit 73 can be disposed in a narrower space. Therefore, it is possible to more easily detect a narrower space than when the sensor unit 70 is disposed at the tip of the support unit 51.

[0067] In the first embodiment, a substrate transfer robot 100 serving as a workpiece transfer robot includes a tool mounting unit 40 to which a hand 50 serving as a workpiece holding hand is replaceably attached. The hand 50 is attached to the robot arm unit 10 via the tool mounting unit 40. The sensor unit 70 is attached to the robot arm unit 10 via the tool mounting unit 40. As a result, even when the hand 50 is replaced using the tool mounting unit 40, the sensor unit 70 is attached to the robot arm unit 10 via the tool mounting unit 40, so the hand 50 can be replaced while the sensor unit 70 remains connected to the robot arm unit 10. Therefore, when replacing the hand 50, the connection of the sensor unit 70 to the robot arm unit 10 can be prevented from being disconnected. Furthermore, when the hand 50 is operated using a non-electric drive source such as an air cylinder, there is no need to supply power from the substrate transfer robot 100 to the hand 50. In this case, the hand 50 can be replaced using the tool mounting unit 40 without turning off the power to the substrate transfer robot 100. Furthermore, since the hand 50 can be replaced while the sensor unit 70 remains attached to the robot arm unit 10, there is no need to provide a sensor unit 70 for each hand 50 that is replaced using the tool mounting unit 40. In other words, a common sensor unit 70 can be used even when replacing the hand 50. This reduces the complexity of the device configuration compared to when multiple sensor units are provided. Furthermore, when an expensive sensor such as a displacement sensor is used as the sensor unit 70, this is more effective than when multiple sensor units are provided.

[0068] In the first embodiment, a substrate transport robot 100 serving as a workpiece transport robot includes a hand 60 serving as a cartridge holding hand that holds a cartridge 550 serving as a processing member cartridge that stores processing members for performing processing on a substrate 300 serving as a workpiece. Either a hand 50 or a hand 60 serving as a workpiece holding hand is interchangeably attached to a tool mounting unit 40. Either a hand 60 or a hand 50 is attached to a robot arm unit 10 via the tool mounting unit 40. A sensor unit 70 is attached to the robot arm unit 10 via the tool mounting unit 40 integrally with either the hand 50 or the hand 60. This allows the detection target to be detected by the common sensor unit 70 even when the hand 50 and the hand 60 are interchangeable. This reduces the complexity of the device configuration compared to when different sensors are provided for the interchangeable hands 50 and 60.

[0069] In the first embodiment, when the hand 50 serving as a workpiece holding hand is attached to the tool attachment unit 40, the sensor unit 70 includes a sensor unit 71 serving as a first sensor unit that irradiates detection light toward the mirror unit 73, and a sensor unit 72 serving as a second sensor unit that irradiates detection light in a direction different from that of the sensor unit 71. The sensor unit 72 irradiates detection light to detect the position of a detection target, including a cartridge mounting unit 520 on which a processing member cartridge 550 is mounted in a processing device 500 that processes a substrate 300 serving as a workpiece. This allows the sensor unit 71 to detect the detection target via the mirror unit 73, and the sensor unit 72 to detect the detection target directly without using the mirror unit 73. Therefore, by arranging the sensor units 71 and 72, they can easily detect in different directions, and therefore can easily detect positions spaced apart from each other without moving the hand 50.

[0070] In the first embodiment, the hand 60 serving as the cartridge holding hand includes a door opening / closing member 66 for opening and closing a door 530 provided in the processing apparatus 500 for processing the substrate 300 serving as a workpiece. This allows the door 530 of the processing apparatus 500 to be opened and closed by the hand 60 holding the cartridge 550 serving as a processing member cartridge that stores processing members for processing the substrate 300. This makes it possible to suppress the complexity of the apparatus configuration compared to when a separate configuration for opening and closing the door 530 of the processing apparatus 500 is provided.

[0071] In the first embodiment, a substrate transport robot 100 serving as a workpiece transport robot includes a self-propelled carriage 20 on which a robot arm unit 10 is placed. The substrate transport robot 100 also includes a control unit 30 that controls the operation of a hand 50 serving as a workpiece holding hand, the robot arm unit 10, and the self-propelled carriage 20. The control unit 30 moves the self-propelled carriage 20 to a processing device 500 that processes a substrate 300 serving as a workpiece. The control unit 30 also controls the operation of the hand 50 and the robot arm unit 10 based on the detection result from the sensor unit 70 so as to perform at least one of placing the substrate 300 on a substrate placement unit 510 serving as a workpiece placement unit of the processing device 500 and removing the substrate 300 placed on the substrate placement unit 510 of the processing device 500. Here, when the robot arm unit 10 moves by the self-propelled carriage 20, the position of the placed substrate 300 and the relative position of the detection target with respect to the hand 50, such as the placement position where the substrate 300 is placed, change in accordance with the movement of the self-propelled carriage 20. Therefore, by detecting the position of the detection target using the sensor unit 70, the substrate 300 can be transported with precision even when the substrate 300 is transported by operating the robot arm unit 10, which moves by the self-propelled carriage 20. Taking this into consideration, in the first embodiment, when the substrate 300 is transported by operating the robot arm unit 10, which moves by the self-propelled carriage 20, the mirror unit 73 reflects the detection light from the sensor unit 70, making it possible to easily detect a position away from the attachment position of the hand 50, and therefore the substrate 300 can be transported easily and accurately.

[0072] In the first embodiment, the sensor unit 70 emits detection light to detect the floating state of the substrate 300 as a workpiece in a placed state in addition to the detection target. The mirror unit 73 reflects the detection light emitted from the sensor unit 70 toward the placed substrate 300, and also reflects the detection light reflected from the substrate 300 toward the sensor unit 70. This makes it possible to detect the floating state of the placed substrate 300 using the mirror unit 73 and the sensor unit 70. Therefore, it is possible to easily detect the floating state of the substrate 300 at a position away from the sensor unit 70 without disposing the sensor unit 70 at a position away from the attachment position of the hand 50 as a workpiece holding hand.

[0073] In the first embodiment, the substrate transport robot 100 serving as a workpiece transport robot includes an imaging unit 74 that is provided separately from the sensor unit 70 and captures an image of the detection target in order to detect the detection target. The sensor unit 70 and the imaging unit 74 are integrally attached to the robot arm unit 10. This allows the detection target to be detected using the sensor unit 70 and the imaging unit 74. Therefore, the detection target can be detected with higher accuracy.

[0074] In the first embodiment, the sensor unit 70 emits detection light to detect the position of a detection target including the substrate placement unit 510 as a work placement unit on which a plurality of substrates 300 as workpieces are placed side by side, and the accommodation unit 400. As a result, even when a plurality of substrates 300 are placed side by side, the detection light from the sensor unit 70 can be reflected by the mirror unit 73, so that a position distant from the attachment position of the hand 50 as a workpiece holding hand in the robot arm unit 10 can be detected without disposing the sensor unit 70 at a position distant from the attachment position of the hand 50.

[0075] [Second embodiment] A substrate transport robot 200 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 15 to 18. Unlike the first embodiment in which the sensor unit 70 includes two sensor units 71 and 72 that are arranged in different orientations, the second embodiment includes a direction changing mechanism 280 that changes the orientation of one sensor unit 270. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0076] (Configuration of the substrate transport robot according to the second embodiment) 15, the substrate transport robot 200 according to the second embodiment includes a robot arm unit 10, a self-propelled carriage 20, a control unit 230, a tool attachment unit 240, hands 50, 60, an imaging unit 74, a sensor unit 270, and a direction changing mechanism 280. The substrate transport robot 200 is an example of a work transport robot.

[0077] Similar to the control unit 30 of the first embodiment, the control unit 230 controls the overall operation of the substrate transport robot 200, and controls the operations of the robot arm unit 10, the self-propelled carriage 20, the hand 50, and the hand 60. The hardware configuration of the control unit 230 is similar to that of the control unit 30 of the first embodiment.

[0078] 16 , the tool mounting unit 240, like the tool mounting unit 40 of the first embodiment, mounts the hands 50 and 60 interchangeably to the robot arm unit 10. The tool mounting unit 240 includes a flat base unit 41, a plate-like member 242, a plate-like member 43, and an exchange mechanism 44. Like the sensor unit 70 of the first embodiment, the sensor unit 270 is attached to the robot arm unit 10 via the tool mounting unit 240 on the A2 direction side, which is one side in the direction in which the support unit 51 extends. The sensor unit 270 is attached to the plate-like member 242 of the tool mounting unit 40 via a direction changing mechanism 280. Like the sensor unit 70 of the first embodiment, the sensor unit 270 is an optical displacement sensor that emits and receives detection light to detect the position of a detection target.

[0079] The direction changing mechanism 280 changes the orientation of the sensor unit 270. The sensor unit 270 emits detection light while changing the direction of the detection light as its orientation is changed by the direction changing mechanism 280. That is, the sensor unit 270 is arranged such that its orientation can be changed by the direction changing mechanism 280 and its position relative to the robot arm unit 10 is fixed. The direction changing mechanism 280 is arranged integrally with the sensor unit 270 on the tool mounting unit 240 and is attached to the robot arm unit 10 via the tool mounting unit 240. The direction changing mechanism 280 is attached to a plate-shaped member 242 of the tool mounting unit 240. The member 242 is fixed to the end of the base unit 41 on the B1 side and is arranged along the AB plane so as to extend from the base unit 41 toward the A1 side.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 17 , in the second embodiment, the direction changing mechanism 280 changes the orientation of the sensor unit 270 between a first direction, A1, toward the mirror unit 73 of the hand 50 and a second direction, C2, toward the detection target including the substrate placement unit 510. When the direction changing mechanism 280 changes the orientation of the sensor unit 270 in the A1 direction, the sensor unit 270 emits detection light along the A direction. The detection light emitted from the sensor unit 270 directed in the A1 direction is irradiated onto the mirror unit 73. When the sensor unit 270 is directed in the A1 direction, the detection light reflected from the detection target is received by the sensor unit 270 via the mirror unit 73. When the direction changing mechanism 280 changes the orientation of the sensor unit 270 in the C2 direction, the sensor unit 270 emits detection light along the C2 direction. The detection light emitted from the sensor unit 270 directed in the C2 direction is directly irradiated onto the detection target along the C direction. When the sensor unit 270 faces in the C2 direction, the detection light reflected from the detection target is directly received by the sensor unit 270. The operation of the direction changing mechanism 280 is controlled by the control unit 230.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 18 , the direction changing mechanism 280 includes a rotation mechanism 281, a rotation shaft 282, and a drive unit 283. In the direction changing mechanism 280, a shaft member 283a of the drive unit 283 moves linearly back and forth along the direction A, causing the rotation mechanism 281 to rotate 90 degrees around the rotation shaft 282 in the direction B. The rotation of the rotation mechanism 281 causes the sensor unit 270 connected to the rotation shaft 282 to rotate in synchronization with the rotation of the rotation mechanism 281. When the shaft member 283a of the drive unit 283 moves toward the direction A1, the rotation mechanism 281 rotates so that the sensor unit 270 faces the direction C2. When the shaft member 283a of the drive unit 283 moves toward the direction A2, the rotation mechanism 281 rotates so that the sensor unit 270 faces the direction A1. The drive unit 283 includes an actuator, such as an air cylinder or a motor. Furthermore, the direction change mechanism 280 has a mechanical structure in which the rotation mechanism 281 rotates by 90 degrees.

[0082] In the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the sensor unit 270 irradiates detection light onto three different positions on the detection surface of the detection target in order to detect the three-dimensional position of the detection surface of the detection target. When the hand 50 is attached to the tool mounting unit 240, the control unit 230 acquires a detection result of detection light emitted from the sensor unit 270 in the C2 direction at a position on the A2 side of the hand 50, using the detection light from the sensor unit 270 oriented in the C2 direction by the direction changing mechanism 280. Then, the control unit 230 acquires a detection result of detection light emitted from the sensor unit 270 oriented in the A1 direction by the direction changing mechanism 280, using the detection light reflected by the mirror unit 73 and irradiated in the C2 direction from the mirror unit 73 at a position on the A1 side of the hand 50. For example, with the hand 50 placed at one position, the control unit 230 acquires detection results at two positions spaced apart on the detection surface of the detection target based on the detection result from the sensor unit 270 directed in the C2 direction by the direction changing mechanism 280 and the detection result using the mirror unit 73 from the sensor unit 270 directed in the A1 direction by the direction changing mechanism 280. Then, the control unit 230 changes the position of the hand 50 and acquires a detection result at a third position based on the detection result from the sensor unit 270 at the changed position. At the third position, for example, the sensor unit 270 is positioned so as to be directed in the C2 direction by the direction changing mechanism 280.

[0083] When the hand 60 is attached to the tool mounting portion 240, the hand 60 does not have a mirror unit that reflects the detection light. Therefore, the control unit 230 acquires detection results for three different positions by acquiring detection results from the sensor unit 70, which is directed in the C2 direction by the direction changing mechanism 280. Therefore, in the second embodiment, when the hand 50 is attached to the tool mounting portion 240 for the transport operation of the substrate 300, the sensor unit 270 irradiates the detection light in each of the A1 direction and the C2 direction by changing its direction by the direction changing mechanism 280. When the hand 60 is attached to the tool mounting portion 240 for the replacement operation of the cartridge 550, the sensor unit 270 irradiates the detection light in a state in which its direction is changed in the C2 direction by the direction changing mechanism 280 in order to detect the position of the detection target, including the cartridge placement portion 520. The other configurations of the second embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment.

[0084] [Effects of the second embodiment] In the second embodiment, the substrate transport robot 200 includes a direction changing mechanism 280 that changes the orientation of the sensor unit 270 between direction A1 as a first direction toward the mirror unit 73 and direction C2 as a second direction toward the detection target. When a hand 50 serving as a workpiece holding hand is attached to the tool mounting unit 240, the sensor unit 270 is changed in orientation by the direction changing mechanism 280 to irradiate detection light in each of the first and second directions. When a hand 60 serving as a cartridge holding hand is attached to the tool mounting unit 240, the sensor unit 270 irradiates detection light while being changed in orientation to the second direction by the direction changing mechanism 280 in order to detect the position of the detection target, including a cartridge mounting unit 520 on which a cartridge 550 serving as a processing member cartridge is mounted in a processing device 500 that processes a substrate 300 serving as a workpiece. As a result, by changing the orientation of the sensor unit 270 by the direction changing mechanism 280, the detection target can be detected directly from the sensor unit 270 and also via the mirror unit 73 spaced apart from the sensor unit 270. Therefore, two positions spaced apart from each other can be easily detected by the common sensor unit 270. Other effects of the second embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment.

[0085] [Variations] It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not by the description of the above embodiments, and further includes all modifications (variations) within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0086] In the first and second embodiments, the mirror unit 73 disposed on the support unit 51 of the hand 50 serving as a workpiece-holding hand is moved integrally with the gripper 53a and the abutment member 59 by the movement mechanism 55 including a linear movement mechanism. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the mirror unit may be disposed so as not to move in the hand. Furthermore, even when the mirror unit moves, it may not move integrally with the gripper that grips the workpiece or the abutment member that abuts to move the workpiece. Furthermore, when the mirror unit is moved, it may be rotated rather than moved linearly, or it may be moved in a direction different from the direction of irradiation of the detection light. Furthermore, the workpiece-holding hand on which the mirror unit is disposed does not need to have a movement mechanism that moves the gripper. In other words, the mirror unit may be disposed in a passive-type hand that does not have a drive mechanism.

[0087] In the above first and second embodiments, an example has been shown in which the sensor units 70 and 270 are arranged on one side in the direction of extension of the support unit 51, which is the base end side of the hand 50 serving as a workpiece-holding hand, and the mirror unit 73 is arranged on the other side in the direction of extension of the support unit 51, which is the tip end side of the hand 50, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the sensor unit and the mirror unit may both be arranged on the base end side or tip end side of the workpiece-holding hand.

[0088] In the first and second embodiments, examples have been described in which the sensor units 70 and 270 are attached to the tool mounting units 40 and 240, to which the hand 50 serving as a workpiece-holding hand and the hand 60 serving as a cartridge-holding hand are interchangeably attached. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the workpiece-holding hand may be directly attached to the robot arm unit without a tool mounting unit. Furthermore, the workpiece-holding hand may be interchangeable with a different type of hand from the cartridge-holding hand via the tool mounting unit. Furthermore, the sensor unit does not have to be attached to the tool mounting unit. For example, the sensor unit may be directly attached to the robot arm unit without a tool mounting unit. Furthermore, the sensor unit may be arranged on a link member of the robot arm unit. Furthermore, the sensor unit may be attached to the robot arm unit via an attachment or other mounting member. Furthermore, the sensor unit may irradiate a detection light onto a detection target, including a workpiece placement unit on which a workpiece is placed.

[0089] In the first and second embodiments, an example was shown in which the door opening / closing member 66 for opening and closing the door 530 of the processing device 500 was disposed on the hand 60 as a cartridge holding hand, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the door opening / closing member may be disposed on the workpiece holding hand. Also, the door opening / closing member may be disposed in a position separate from the hand, such as a robot arm.

[0090] In the first and second embodiments, the sensor units 70 and 270 are displacement sensors that detect the distance to the detection target by irradiating detection light using a triangulation method, a time-of-flight method, or the like, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the sensor unit may be an optical sensor other than a displacement sensor, such as a photoelectric sensor that detects the detection target based on whether the detection light is blocked. Furthermore, the sensor unit may be configured with a detection light irradiating unit that irradiates the detection light and an inspection light receiving unit that receives the detection light as separate units.

[0091] In the above-described first and second embodiments, an example was shown in which the imaging unit 74 was arranged separately from the sensor units 70 and 270, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, an imaging unit may not be arranged. Furthermore, if an imaging unit is arranged, the imaging unit may not be arranged on the tool mounting unit. For example, the imaging unit may be arranged on a link member of the robot arm unit, or on a self-propelled cart or a platform to which the robot arm unit is attached. Furthermore, the imaging unit may be arranged in a position separated from the robot arm unit.

[0092] In the above first and second embodiments, an example is shown in which the robot arm unit 10 is mounted on the self-propelled carriage 20, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The present disclosure can also be applied to a workpiece transport robot in which the robot arm unit is fixed to the floor.

[0093] In the first and second embodiments, the substrate transport robots 100 and 200 serving as workpiece transport robots are vertical articulated robots, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The present disclosure can also be applied to a workpiece transport robot that is a horizontal articulated robot.

[0094] In the above first and second embodiments, the substrate transport robots 100 and 200 as workpiece transport robots transport a substrate 300 including a stacked substrate to be processed 301, a metal plate 302, and a bake plate 303. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the workpiece transport robot may transport only a single substrate that is not stacked. Furthermore, it may transport workpieces other than substrates, such as assembly members or processed members. Furthermore, the shape of the workpiece does not have to be plate-shaped. Furthermore, the workpiece holding hand on which the mirror unit is disposed may hold a processing member cartridge that stores processing members as the workpiece. In other words, the mirror unit may be disposed on the cartridge holding hand.

[0095] In the above first and second embodiments, examples have been shown in which the overall operation of the substrate transport robots 100 and 200 as workpiece transport robots is controlled by the control units 30 and 230 as robot controllers, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the control for detecting the position of the detection target based on the detection result of the sensor unit and the control for the overall operation of the workpiece transport robot may be controlled by separate control devices.

[0096] In the above first and second embodiments, an example was shown in which the drive units 11 arranged at each of the joint axes JT1 to JT6 of the robot arm unit 10 and the drive unit 22 arranged at the self-propelled cart 20 are controlled by the same control units 30 and 230, respectively, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the drive units of the robot arm unit and the drive unit of the self-propelled cart may be controlled by separate control units.

[0097] The functions of the elements disclosed herein can be performed using circuits or processing circuits, including general-purpose processors, special-purpose processors, integrated circuits, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), conventional circuits, and / or combinations thereof, configured or programmed to perform the disclosed functions. A processor is considered a processing circuit or circuit because it includes transistors and other circuitry. In this disclosure, a circuit, unit, or means is hardware that performs the recited functions or hardware that is programmed to perform the recited functions. The hardware may be hardware disclosed herein or other known hardware that is programmed or configured to perform the recited functions. Where the hardware is a processor, which is considered a type of circuit, the circuit, means, or unit is a combination of hardware and software, and the software is used to configure the hardware and / or processor.

[0098] [Aspect] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments described above are examples of the following aspects.

[0099] (Aspect 1) A robot arm unit; a workpiece holding hand attached to the robot arm and holding a workpiece; a sensor unit attached to the robot arm unit, which irradiates detection light and receives detection light in order to detect the position of a detection target including a workpiece placement unit on which the workpiece is placed; a mirror unit disposed on the workpiece holding hand, which reflects the detection light emitted from the sensor unit toward the detection object, and reflects the detection light reflected from the detection object toward the sensor unit.

[0100] (Aspect 2) 2. The workpiece transport robot according to aspect 1, further comprising: a movement mechanism disposed on the workpiece holding hand for moving the mirror unit.

[0101] (Aspect 3) the workpiece holding hand includes a gripping portion that grips an end portion of the workpiece, The moving mechanism moves the gripping unit according to the size of the workpiece, 3. The workpiece transport robot according to aspect 2, wherein the mirror unit is moved integrally with the gripper unit by the movement mechanism.

[0102] (Aspect 4) The workpiece holding hand further includes a contact member that is disposed separately from the gripping portion and contacts the workpiece in order to move the workpiece in a placed state, 4. The workpiece transport robot according to aspect 3, wherein the gripping portion, the mirror portion, and the contact member are moved integrally by the movement mechanism.

[0103] (Aspect 5) the movement mechanism includes a linear movement mechanism that moves the mirror section linearly along the irradiation direction of the detection light, The workpiece transport robot according to any one of aspects 2 to 4, wherein the sensor unit is fixed to the robot arm unit.

[0104] (Aspect 6) the workpiece holding hand includes a support portion extending along a predetermined direction, and is attached to the robot arm portion on one side of the direction in which the support portion extends; the sensor unit is disposed on one side in a direction in which the support unit extends, The workpiece transport robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein the mirror section is disposed on the other side of the workpiece holding hand in the direction in which the support section extends.

[0105] (Aspect 7) Further provided is a tool mounting portion to which the workpiece holding hand is replaceably mounted, the workpiece holding hand is attached to the robot arm unit via the tool attachment unit, The workpiece transport robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 6, wherein the sensor unit is attached to the robot arm unit via the tool attachment unit.

[0106] (Aspect 8) a cartridge holding hand for holding a processing member cartridge containing a processing member for performing processing on the workpiece; The tool mounting portion is configured to mount either the workpiece holding hand or the cartridge holding hand in an exchangeable manner, the robot arm unit has either the cartridge holding hand or the workpiece holding hand attached via the tool attachment part; A workpiece transport robot according to aspect 7, wherein the sensor unit is attached to the robot arm unit integrally with either the workpiece holding hand or the cartridge holding hand via the tool attachment unit.

[0107] (Aspect 9) the sensor unit includes a first sensor unit that irradiates the detection light toward the mirror unit when the workpiece holding hand is attached to the tool attachment unit, and a second sensor unit that irradiates the detection light along a direction different from that of the first sensor unit, A workpiece transport robot according to aspect 8, wherein the second sensor unit irradiates the detection light to detect the position of the detection object, which includes a cartridge mounting unit on which the processing member cartridge is mounted, in a processing device that processes the workpiece.

[0108] (Aspect 10) a direction changing mechanism that changes the orientation of the sensor unit between a first direction toward the mirror unit and a second direction toward the detection target, The sensor unit When the workpiece holding hand is attached to the tool attachment section, the direction of the workpiece holding hand is changed by the direction changing mechanism, thereby irradiating the detection light in each of the first direction and the second direction; A work transport robot as described in aspect 8, wherein, when the cartridge holding hand is attached to the tool mounting portion, the detection light is irradiated while being directed in the second direction by the direction changing mechanism in order to detect the position of the detection object, including the cartridge mounting portion on which the processing member cartridge is placed, in a processing device that processes the work.

[0109] (Aspect 11) A workpiece transport robot according to any one of aspects 8 to 10, wherein the cartridge holding hand includes a door opening / closing member for opening and closing a door provided in a processing device that processes the workpiece.

[0110] (Aspect 12) a self-propelled carriage on which the robot arm unit is placed; a control unit that controls the operations of the workpiece holding hand, the robot arm unit, and the self-propelled carriage, The control unit moving the self-propelled carriage to a processing device that processes the workpiece; A work transport robot described in any one of aspects 1 to 11, which controls the operation of the work holding hand and the robot arm unit to perform at least one of placing the work on the work placement section of the processing device and removing the work placed on the work placement section of the processing device based on the detection results from the sensor unit.

[0111] (Aspect 13) The sensor unit irradiates the detection light to detect the floating state of the workpiece in a placed state in addition to the detection target, A workpiece transport robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 12, wherein the mirror unit reflects the detection light irradiated from the sensor unit toward the workpiece in a placed state, and reflects the detection light reflected from the workpiece toward the sensor unit.

[0112] (Aspect 14) an imaging unit that is provided separately from the sensor unit and captures an image of the detection target in order to detect the detection target; The workpiece transport robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 13, wherein the sensor unit and the imaging unit are integrally attached to the robot arm unit.

[0113] (Aspect 15) A workpiece transport robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 14, wherein the sensor unit irradiates detection light to detect the position of the detection object, including the workpiece placement unit on which multiple works are placed side by side.

[0114] (Aspect 16) a workpiece holding hand that holds the workpiece; a tool mounting portion to which the workpiece holding hand is replaceably mounted; a robot arm unit to which the workpiece holding hand is attached via the tool attachment unit; a sensor unit attached to the robot arm unit and configured to detect the position of a detection object including a workpiece placement unit on which the workpiece is placed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0115] 10 Robot arm 20 Self-propelled cart 30, 230 Control section 40, 240 Tool mounting part 50 hands (workpiece holding hands) 51 Support part 53a Gripping part 55 Moving mechanism 60 Hand (Cartridge holding hand) 70, 270 Sensor part 71 Sensor unit (first sensor unit) 72 Sensor unit (second sensor unit) 73 Mirror section 74 Imaging unit 100, 200 Substrate transport robot (work transport robot) 280 Directional Change Mechanism 300 substrate (work) 410 Storage section (workpiece placement section) 500 processing equipment 510 Substrate placement section (work placement section) 520 Cartridge placement section 530 Door section 531 Toride 550 Cartridge (Processing Material Cartridge)

Claims

1. A robot arm unit; a workpiece holding hand attached to the robot arm and holding a workpiece; a sensor unit attached to the robot arm unit, which irradiates detection light and receives detection light in order to detect the position of a detection target including a workpiece placement unit on which the workpiece is placed; a mirror unit disposed on the workpiece holding hand, which reflects the detection light emitted from the sensor unit toward the detection object, and reflects the detection light reflected from the detection object toward the sensor unit.

2. The workpiece transport robot according to claim 1 , further comprising a movement mechanism disposed on the workpiece holding hand for moving the mirror portion.

3. the workpiece holding hand includes a gripping portion that grips an end portion of the workpiece, The moving mechanism moves the gripping unit according to the size of the workpiece, The workpiece transport robot according to claim 2 , wherein the mirror portion is moved integrally with the gripping portion by the moving mechanism.

4. The workpiece holding device further includes a contact member that is disposed in the workpiece holding hand separately from the gripping portion and contacts the workpiece in order to move the workpiece in a placed state, The workpiece transport robot according to claim 3 , wherein the gripping portion, the mirror portion, and the contact member are moved integrally by the movement mechanism.

5. the movement mechanism includes a linear movement mechanism that moves the mirror section linearly along the irradiation direction of the detection light, 5. The workpiece transport robot according to claim 2, wherein the sensor unit is fixed to the robot arm unit.

6. the workpiece holding hand includes a support portion extending along a predetermined direction, and is attached to the robot arm portion on one side of the direction in which the support portion extends; the sensor unit is disposed on one side in a direction in which the support unit extends, 5. The workpiece transport robot according to claim 1, wherein the mirror portion is disposed on the other side of the workpiece holding hand in the direction in which the support portion extends.

7. Further provided is a tool mounting portion to which the workpiece holding hand is replaceably mounted, the workpiece holding hand is attached to the robot arm unit via the tool attachment unit, 5. The workpiece transport robot according to claim 1, wherein the sensor unit is attached to the robot arm unit via the tool attachment unit.

8. a cartridge holding hand for holding a processing member cartridge containing a processing member for performing processing on the workpiece; The tool mounting portion is configured to mount either the workpiece holding hand or the cartridge holding hand in an exchangeable manner, the robot arm unit has either the cartridge holding hand or the workpiece holding hand attached via the tool attachment part; 8. The workpiece transport robot according to claim 7, wherein the sensor unit is attached to the robot arm unit integrally with either the workpiece holding hand or the cartridge holding hand via the tool attachment unit.

9. the sensor unit includes a first sensor unit that irradiates the detection light toward the mirror unit when the workpiece holding hand is attached to the tool attachment unit, and a second sensor unit that irradiates the detection light along a direction different from that of the first sensor unit, 9. The workpiece transport robot according to claim 8, wherein the second sensor unit irradiates the detection light to detect the position of the detection object, which includes a cartridge mounting portion on which the processing member cartridge is mounted, in a processing device that processes the workpiece.

10. a direction changing mechanism that changes the orientation of the sensor unit between a first direction toward the mirror unit and a second direction toward the detection target, The sensor unit When the workpiece holding hand is attached to the tool attachment section, the direction of the workpiece holding hand is changed by the direction changing mechanism, thereby irradiating the detection light in each of the first direction and the second direction; The work transport robot according to claim 8, wherein when the cartridge holding hand is attached to the tool attachment portion, the detection light is irradiated in a state in which its orientation is changed to the second direction by the direction changing mechanism in order to detect the position of the detection object including a cartridge placement portion on which the processing member cartridge is placed in a processing device that processes the work.

11. 9. The workpiece transport robot according to claim 8, wherein said cartridge holding hand includes a door opening / closing member for opening and closing a door provided in a processing device that processes said workpiece.

12. a self-propelled carriage on which the robot arm unit is placed; a control unit that controls the operations of the workpiece holding hand, the robot arm unit, and the self-propelled carriage, The control unit moving the self-propelled carriage to a processing device that processes the workpiece; A work transport robot as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, which controls the operation of the work holding hand and the robot arm unit to perform at least one of placing the work on the work placing section of the processing device and removing the work placed on the work placing section of the processing device based on the detection results from the sensor unit.

13. The sensor unit irradiates the detection light to detect the floating state of the workpiece in a placed state in addition to the detection target, 5. The work transport robot according to claim 1, wherein the mirror section reflects the detection light irradiated from the sensor section toward the work in a placed state, and reflects the detection light reflected from the work toward the sensor section.

14. an imaging unit that is provided separately from the sensor unit and captures an image of the detection target in order to detect the detection target; 5. The workpiece transport robot according to claim 1, wherein the sensor unit and the imaging unit are integrally attached to the robot arm unit.

15. The work transport robot according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sensor unit irradiates detection light to detect the position of the detection object, including the work placement unit on which the plurality of workpieces are placed side by side.

Images